The medicinal use of oils and extracts derived from cannabis plant material has been growing in popularity. For example, pharmacologically active compounds in cannabis plant material including, but not limited to, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have been shown to reduce the effects of nausea and vomiting caused by certain chemotherapy treatments.
Research has also shown the ability of cannabinoids and other compounds found in cannabis to stimulate bone growth, relieve pain, aid sleep, inhibit bacterial cell growth, inhibit cancer cell growth, and alleviate or otherwise reduce the symptoms of cancer, epilepsy, autoimmune disease, neurodegeneration, Alzheimer's disease, Lyme disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and inflammation. Furthermore, extracts of cannabis plant material, whether ingested or inhaled, have also been shown to have therapeutic effects in patients with glaucoma, dysmenorrhea, migraines, anxiety disorders, or a combination thereof
However, cannabis oil is often highly viscous, making it difficult to work with and load into new delivery devices such as vaporizers and E-cigarettes. In addition, such oils, when vaporized or smoked, are often rough on a patient's throat and may induce coughing or gagging.
Furthermore, cannabinoids degrade rapidly in the body reducing the efficacy of cannabinoids. Ways of improving efficacy, bioavailability, and bioactivity of cannabinoids are desired.
Significant research indicates that the entourage effect influences the efficacy of cannabinoid medicine. In particular, there is a synergistic effect among cannabinoids, terpenes and other components of the cannabis sativa plant. Whole plant extracts having particularly defined components have been particularly efficacious when compared to products having a small number of isolated cannabinoids. While modeling the interrelationship of the components in cannabis plants is challenging, progress has been made.